


Memento Mori

by 30xf



Series: 201 Days Of X Files [86]
Category: The X-Files
Genre: Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-10
Updated: 2018-05-10
Packaged: 2019-05-04 22:28:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14603055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/30xf/pseuds/30xf





	Memento Mori

The office phone rang and Mulder jumped, despite the fact that he'd been expecting a call for the better part of the morning. He set aside the stack of photos he'd been analyzing and picked up the receiver. "Mulder," he stated, still half-eyeing the picture on the top of the pile.

"Mulder, it's me," Scully's voice came to his ear and he immediately rose from his chair, grabbing for his jacket. He'd dropped Scully off at the hospital for an appointment what seemed like hours before, and he'd been waiting for her call to go pick her up.

"You ready?" he asked, wedging the phone between alternating shoulders and ears to accommodate putting his jacket on.

"Mmmhmm," was all she said, her voice sounding a little strange even to herself.

Mulder stood in the middle of the office, with the phone chord stretched out to it's full length. It was as if the moment Scully hung up, he'd simply let the receiver go and run. "You want me to just pull up to that door I dropped you off at?"

Not far away, Scully was pacing a hospital hallway, vaguely hoping her cell phone reception would cut out on her. "Could you come in, actually? I've got something to show you," she declared, managing to sound business-like.

He felt a tinge of excitement in the pit of his stomach. Scully tended to drift towards the morgue of whatever hospital she entered, and sometimes she found interesting things down there. "You're not going to make me dig through medical waste with you again, are you?" he asked with a smile. Without conscious thought, he hoped she'd come across some sort of genetic anomaly that would keep them busy for a day or two. 

"Nope, you're safe there," she smiled, wanting to hang up and end the conversation.

"What's up then?" he asked absently, checking his pockets for his keys, wallet, and cell phone.

Scully held the phone away for a moment as she rolled her neck around, hoping for some small cracks that would relieve some of the tension that had settled at the base of her skull. "I've got some test results I want you to see," she finally admitted.

Mulder nodded to himself. "Test results for who?" he asked, the idea of her being ill not even remotely entering his mind. 

She rolled her eyes before she could stop herself and had to swallow a lump in her throat. She had thought this would be the easy phone call. The one she could treat like a business transaction. The one to her mother, however, was one she'd have to prepare for. As it was, she felt like she was about to sucker punch her partner, even though she was simply sharing her bad news with him. "Test results for me," she let out on a sigh.

He turned and walked back to the desk in one quick step, looking up to the window with a frown. "Everything alright, Scully?" Even as he said it, he knew it was a stupid question. She was at the hospital and she wanted him to come see her test results. Obviously everything wasn't alright.

"It would just be easier to explain if I can show you the test results," she lied. In truth, she was hoping it was going to somehow be easier to tell him the news to his face. As it was, she was barely keeping her voice from breaking. She'd been fine as she dialed the phone. Fine as she asked the FBI operator to transfer her to Mulder's extension. Fine as she listened to the 'on hold' music. It was when she heard his simple greeting that she'd felt her knees weaken.

"Okay," he said, his voice quiet. "Where do you want me to meet you?" There was a pause then. One which, in retrospect, would be the last blissfully ignorant moment of Mulder's life. On the other end of the line, Scully's composure slipped for the first time since her doctor had hesitantly shown her the test results. She'd been stoic then, asking all the necessary questions. Now, with this simple question before her, she had no words. She turned to the window as her face contorted in sorrow, but she clasped her hand to her mouth before any sound could escape. She recovered quickly, however, and turned back to the empty hallway, leaning against the window sill. "Scully? Where do you want me to meet you?" Mulder finally repeated.

Scully inhaled deeply before she cleared her throat and stated simply, "Oncology."


End file.
